Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations Recommends Special Status for 12 NGOs,

Removes 15 from Review List, Postpones Action on 23

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) today recommended that the Economic and Social Council grant special consultative status to 12 applicants, and postponed consideration of 23 applicants as it wrapped up the bulk of its work during the current regular session. It also removed 15 NGOs from the review list for having failed to respond to inquiries despite three reminders from the Secretariat.

Committee Chair Marghoob Saleem Butt ( Pakistan) noted that a total of 169 applications, including 144 new ones and 25 deferred from previous sessions, had been recommended for consultative status during the current session. That figure was the highest ever, exceeding the 157 from last year’s session, he added.

The Committee recommends general, special or roster status on the basis of an applicant’s mandate, governance and financials, among other criteria. Once accredited, NGOs can attend meetings of the Economic and Social Council and enjoy different levels of benefits, depending on their status. Those with general and special status can speak during meetings, with the former also allowed to propose agenda items. NGOs with roster status are more restricted and may only address meetings with the Secretary-General’s permission.

During today’s exchange, Committee members questioned applicants about, among other things, links to the Governments of their host countries, project details, updates on the nature and scope of specific projects, and financial details.

At the outset of the meeting, the Committee elected Maria Pavlova ( Bulgaria) and Eduardo Lopez ( Peru) as Vice-Chairs, with the latter also appointed as Rapporteur.

The new Rapporteur presented the draft report of the Committee on its 2013 regular session (document E/C.2/2013/L.1), saying the “blanks” in it would be filled with substantive details during forthcoming informal discussions.

In closing remarks, Sudan’s representative applauded the increased number of applications recommended for status. However, his counterpart from Belgium expressed serious concern over the “huge” backlog of applications, as well as postponed applications, many of which had been blocked by numerous and repeated questions. The situation contravened the principles of Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31, she stressed. Bulgaria’s representative echoed her concerns, expressing regret that the most knowledgeable and meaningful NGOs had been deferred for another year. While Committee members were entitled to ask questions, action on applications should be taken within a reasonable amount of time, she added.

Representatives of Pakistan, China, India, Peru, Cuba, Russian Federation and the United States also participated in today’s exchanges.

The Committee’s next formal meeting will take place at 10 a.m. on 8 February, when it is expected to conclude its work for the current regular session.

Special Consultative Status

The Committee recommended that the Economic and Social Council grant special consultative status to the following non-governmental organizations:

International Union of Parents and Teachers — a national NGO in Ghana defending against illegal actions;

Organisation des Laics Engagés du Sacré-Coeur pour le Développement de Kimbondo — a national organization fighting poverty and helping with the reintegration of former prisoners in the Democratic Republic of Congo;

Young Power in Social Action — a national organization in Bangladesh working to create a society free of poverty;

Youth Foundation of Bangladesh — a national organization seeking young people’s participation in all areas of development;

Omega Research Foundation — a United Kingdom-based international NGO providing evidence-based research on military, security and police technologies;

Stichting Coalition for Work with Psychotrauma and Peace — a Netherlands-based international NGO helping people with mental health problems recover from violent conflict, discrimination and other traumatic events;

The Jewish Renaissance Foundation — a United States-based international organization striving to help socio-economically vulnerable persons and families;

Corporación Centro de Estudios de Derecho Justicia y Sociedad — a national organization in Colombia encouraging debate on human rights, democracy and the rule of law throughout Latin America;

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